1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to filtered pour-through container systems, such as pitcher systems, where filtering is achieved as the user pours water from the container. More specifically, the present invention is directed to containers included with such systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Drinking water, such as water from water purification facilities or well water, can contain certain additives or contaminants (referred to herein collectively as contaminants) such as chlorine, chloramines, or various organic components. Chlorine is typically intentionally added to water to control microbes. For some, chlorinated water imparts an unpleasant taste or smell. Its presence may also raise health concerns to some consumers.
Existing pour-through pitcher systems, such as those available from BRITA allow a user to fill a reservoir of the pitcher with water, which passes (under influence of gravity) through a filter, which removes contaminants from the water. The filtered water exits the filter into the main body of the pitcher, and may then be poured therefrom, providing filtered water for drinking.
One disadvantage of existing systems is that it may take several minutes for water introduced into the reservoir of such a system to be filtered, and ready for drinking. It would be beneficial to provide systems that might provide filtered water poured from a pitcher or other container where the time required to filter may be reduced.